Mumbai Youth Congress chief Ganesh Yadav says detention and turn of events were bizarre
The delegation with Vice Chancellor Dr Suhas Pednekar (in brown suit)
We are still witness to twists and turns in the MLA drama, where Congress rebel MLAs are now being asked to submit their resignations, but it is certainly not the end to one of the most disappointing chapters in Indian politics, said Ganesh Yadav, president, Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC).
Yadav was in the thick of action on Wednesday as the Congress activists were with senior leader D K Shiva Kumar outside a Powai hotel trying to meet the MLAs, and were packed off in a police van to be housed in Kalina. He said he was still trying to process the events, which beat a movie script.
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Excerpts from an interview with Yadav.
You were part of the Congress retinue outside the Powai hotel...
I was in fact one of the first to reach there. When we gathered suddenly Section 144 was imposed. It was strange to see how quickly this was done.
The MLAs have left the city but Mumbai was witness to a bizarre turn of events...
Our leader D K Shiva Kumar was not allowed to enter the hotel, even though he had a room key, as one of his aides had collected it from the reception earlier! This was certainly a public place and he was not allowed to go inside.
You all were detained at an unusual venue, the Kalina Campus guesthouse...
It was bizarre. We were taken into the guesthouse on Wednesday afternoon and detained there for a few hours. Why Kalina? And why the detention in the first place?
Also read: Two more Congress legislators resign, taking total to 16
The MLAs may have wanted to resign on their own. Were they really coerced or lured as Congress says... Why was the Congress leader not allowed to meet them?
If they felt threatened like they claimed, police could have accompanied the Congress activists inside to protect the rebels. When we were not allowed to meet them, then how do we know why they decided to rebel? Were they pressured? Forced to give statements? Given money by the richest political party? We will never know.
The scene has shifted from Mumbai...
This is destabilising the country and is also a gross disrespect of voters' sentiments. Democracy has been threatened. This horse-trading episode seems to be unprecedented in magnitude and is an unfortunate first, with Mumbai witness to a slice of political history we could have done without.
'This is defiling of a temple of learning'
A delegation of Congress supporters, workers and activists met VC Dr Suhas Pednekar at his Fort office on Thursday with reference to the detention of the Congress politicians. The delegation stated that during the detention, the Mumbai police took over the Kalina campus, which is a violation of statutory laws. Students were not allowed access to the campus, which is a defilement of the temple of learning. The delegation demanded that responsibility be fixed and action be taken against the errant officials.
Also read: BJP has inducted rapist, matka dealer into party: Cong leader
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